It's really not her voice that's the problem. It's the ridiculous amount of auto-tune on Mike Love's album. I can't even listen to those tracks.

Today on Sirius XM I heard a live version of "Papa Om Mow Mow". It sounded from sometime in the mid 1960s, and to my ears Al (not Brian) was doing lead vocals. They absolutely tore through that song, and Al sounded like he was growling at times. It was freaking fantastic. Anybody have any info?

While looking through youtube and not finding it, I did come a lousy version of the song from 1977 with Brian on lead. Never heard this before. Ouch.

They keep playing a telephone request - the guy wants to hear a song Dennis wrote and sang - and they always play Mona (?) Why don't they play River Song - have heard lots of Dennis songs but not that one.

I swear, literally every time I drive any distance I hear California Saga with Al. Thankfully I like the song.It does remind me about our library book club discussion next month. The book to be discussed? Steinbeck's Travels With Charley.

« Last Edit: July 28, 2018, 08:29:38 AM by NOLA BB Fan »

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"No White Flags." - Team Gleason

"(Brian) got into this really touching music with songs like 'In My Room', and 'Good Vibrations' was amazing. The melodies are so beautiful, almost perfect. I began to realize he was one of the most gifted writers of our generation." - Paul Simon

I was in the car on and off yesterday for about 4-5 hours. Heard All This is That for the first time(YAY), along with some Carl Wilson solo. But, and it's a big but, I must have heard Sail on Sailor 5 times. Serius, please....give a look to the playlists from time to time........I like SOS, but 5 times in 4 hours is a bit much...if you want to play something off of Holland, how about Only With You.

Ok, those of you who have the BB channel, I think there's been ample time to judge it's merits. I'm a bit unimpressed at the number of times the "hits" are played during the day as opposed to the deep cuts from say material from Smile(both the original and BWPS), Brian Wilson 88 and Sweet Insanity to name a few. I've heard nothing from those lp's. I'd enjoy hearing a bit more of Dennis' stuff prior to POB as well and something like "Rio Grand". I don't know, maybe I'm not in my car enough to tell what's really going on. I'm glad the channel is there but they've gotta scale down the familiar hits being played as often as they are.

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myKe luHv, the most hated, embarrassing clown the world of music has ever witnessed.

They've played stuff from all the solo albums, including Brian Wilson '88. They haven't played any "Sweet Insanity" tracks, but that's because they're not playing unreleased material.

The *level* of deep tracks they've played is about as good as one could expect. They've done "Celebration" tracks, live Carl '81 tracks, one-off tracks like "Chasin' the Sky" and "Problem Child", etc.

It's the random nature of the tracks that is most frustrating, and obviously yes, the proportion of "hits" is understandably skewed so that familiar tracks are played often.

I haven't been listening as much in the last couple weeks, but I've usually noticed certain tracks get played seemingly way too often, like the 45 version of "Cotton Fields." One time I heard "Got to Know the Woman" like four times within two hours or so.

I think some curation, some themed blocks of programming, etc. would help. For a while, it may seem funny or ironic to get whip lash going from "'Til I Die" to "Summer of Love" to "Pom Pom Playgirl" to "Sidewalk Surfin'", etc. But eventually it does just seem so random as to lessen one's enthusiasm over time.

They've done a couple of guest DJ spots, and of course the reunion Q&A, but not very much "special" programming overall, which I think would help a lot. Have the actual members spin some records and make some selections.

It'll be interesting to see if the channel has any chance of going beyond a "limited run" summer channel. If they plan on trying, I think they'll have to cultivate the programming a lot more, similar to the Beatles channel (the Beatles channel is *far* from perfect, but they do have blocks of themed programming that make more sense).

Thanks for your take on this, HJ, and yes, I'd like to see a bit more creativity and thought out segues in presenting the tracks. Have you or anyone else heard things like Steamboat or A Day In The Life Of A Tree, Mess Of Help, Just Once In My Life, The '72 Live album, or the trilogy from TWGMTR?

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myKe luHv, the most hated, embarrassing clown the world of music has ever witnessed.

I"ve heard Steamboat several times. Don't know about the others, think I heard Mess of Help at least once.

I've been a Sirius XM subscriber since 2005 (before the two companies merged - I was originally with XM). It was a lifeline for me during a time when I had little access to TV and didn't have a permanent home. I used it, and still do, for music and news.The Beach Boys channel for some reason is being run differently from the other channels. Maybe if it was going to be permanent they would do the talk shows featuring media and/or those associated with the band, shows featuring fans playing their favorites, complete live performances, and featuring artists who influenced them (such as Chuck Berry, The Four Freshmen).I've been overall pleased, as it's introduced me to songs I'm not as familiar with, such as Carl's solo efforts and some obscure things by Dennis. Yeah, Sail on Sailor, Cottonfields, and Surfin are being played to death. But I enjoyed hearing Gene Simmons intro comments to Good Vibrations this morning. Also one of Carl's sons reminiscing about how Audree would become emotional, crying tears of joy listening to the BBs' gorgeous harmonies.

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"No White Flags." - Team Gleason

"(Brian) got into this really touching music with songs like 'In My Room', and 'Good Vibrations' was amazing. The melodies are so beautiful, almost perfect. I began to realize he was one of the most gifted writers of our generation." - Paul Simon

Thanks for your take on this, HJ, and yes, I'd like to see a bit more creativity and thought out segues in presenting the tracks. Have you or anyone else heard things like Steamboat or A Day In The Life Of A Tree, Mess Of Help, Just Once In My Life, The '72 Live album, or the trilogy from TWGMTR?

Yep, I've heard just about all of those selections. Definitely "Steamboat", "Mess of Help", a number of tracks from the '73 "In Concert" album, and every track from TWGMTR, "Just Once In My Life", etc.

They've even played pretty much all of the "grey" market live releases: Carl at My Father's Place and the Bottom Line '81, BBs in Washington DC 1981, Fillmore East 1971, Japan 1966.

They've also dipped into stuff from the 1986 Sunkist album, including the live tracks from '84 and '85 with Ringo, the Oak Ridge Boys, etc.

So yeah, in terms of content, they're going as deep as one could go without literally playing boots or getting never-released material from BRI. It's just the programming/curation of when and how tracks are played that has dictated hearing "Good Vibrations" seemingly almost every hour, etc.

In a few cases, they're playing stuff that's never been released on CD or digitally (the "Celebration" stuff, the Sunkist album, etc.). I'm not sure if they're just playing digital transfers from vinyl, or if BRI or other band members (e.g. Mike who owns the "Celebration" masters) are supplying masters.

The only solo album I'm not sure if they've played anything from is "Looking Back with Love." I also haven't personally seen/heard them play anything from Brian's "What I Really Want for Christmas" or "In the Key of Disney", so I'm not positive those have been touched on. They did start playing BB "Christmas Album" tracks last month.

Has anything rare like that (especially needledrops) which they've played on the channel been some sort of sonic "upgrade" in terms of sounding better than any circulating versions?

Can't always tell. Sometimes I've been grabbing screencaps while it just plays from my smartphone speakers.

I think "Chasin' the Sky" technically has had a CD release; I think the "Up the Creek" soundtrack was put out on CD somewhere at some point briefly.

Nothing has sounded scratchy like it's coming from old crackly vinyl. But I am curious to know if the stuff they're playing that's not currently in print digitally or on CD is coming from vinyl, or needledrop transfers, or somehow directly or indirectly from BRI. Random companies have the rights to a few of the soundtrack songs, and Mike owns the Celebration masters.

But as a radio station, they can presumably technically spin anything that has ever been commercially released.

I would presume some sources pull the track from here (others perhaps from vinyl; the vinyl is probably more common than the CD); this is about as good as it could sound outside of a full legit remaster.

Slightly off-topic, but the worst sound quality I've heard (by far!!!) was Surfin' Safari (Ariola Version). I guess this was a bonus track on the Japanese compilation Still I Dream Of You: Rare Works Of Brian Wilson. It was horrendous. It should not have been played on the radio! That was my impression, anyway. I only heard it once and I was just listening through my smartphone speakers.